2016-06-29 Historic Preservation Commission MinutesCITY OF EDMONDS
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
SUMMARY MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING
June 29, 2016
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Chair Scott called the meeting of the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission to order at 5:30 p.m. in the 3rd Floor
Conference Room of City Hall, 121 — 5d' Avenue North.
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT
Emily Scott, Chair
Larry Vogel, Vice Chair (arrived at 5:35 p.m.)
Sandra Allbery
Chris Deiner-Karr
Eric Livingston
Tim Raetzloff
Dave Teitzel, City Council Member
COMMISSIONERS ABSENT
Steve Waite (excused)
REQUESTS FROM THE AUDIENCE
STAFF PRESENT
Rob Chave, Planning Manager
Kernen Lien, Senior Planner
Diane Cunningham, Administrative Assistant
OTHERS PRESENT
Barry Ehrlich
Bruce Witenberg
Alex Witenberg
Kristiana Johnson
Pat Woodell
Barry Ehrlich, Edmonds, said he lives across the street from the Civic Field, and he believes the grandstands are unsightly.
Rather than designating the structure as historic, he would like it to be removed and the space could be used for a better
purpose.
City Council Member Johnson said she was present because she is very interested in the master planning process for Civic
Field, and she wants to make sure there is a thorough evaluation of the historical attributes of the property. The property has
significance to people of her age who grew up in Edmonds.
Pat Woodell, Edmonds, observed that the grandstand structure is quite old. She questioned what impact the renovations that
were done in 1983 would have on the Commission's review of the property as historic.
NEW BUSINESS: CIVIC FIELD (field house and Grandstands)
Mr. Lien presented the Staff Report, reviewing that the City recently purchased Civic Field from the Edmonds School
District and has begun the process of developing a master plan. He explained that the master plan will require State
Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) evaluation, and one of the questions on the checklist is whether any structures on the site
are eligible for the national, state or local preservation registers. The purpose of the special meeting is for the Commission to
evaluate and make a recommendation as to whether the field house (Boys and Girls Club) or grandstands qualify for listing
on the local register. The Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) has issued
detailed guidelines for historic mitigation and documentation standards, which were attached to the Staff Report. If the
DAHP determines that a more detailed Level II Historic Mitigation Report is desired, staff recommends that the work be
done by a professional in the historic preservation field.
Council Member Teitzel asked if any evaluation was done regarding the site's historic significance when it was initially
developed. Chair Scott answered that no regulations were in place at the time of initial construction, and no subsurface
investigation has occurred to date. It was noted that the site's significance to Native American history is outside of the
Commission's purview.
Mr. Lien advised that the City is conducting a structural analysis of the grandstands, and the preliminary report is that they
have one to two years of life remaining before significant funding would be needed for restoration. Chair Scott explained
that, regardless of the Commission's recommendation relative to the two structures, the DAHP will automatically require an
updated inventory for each one because they are more than 50 years old. The field house inventory was updated in 2004, but
the grandstands have never been inventoried on DAHP's database. While the Commission can help in the process,
professional assistance will likely be required as part of the mitigation process.
Ms. Cunningham reminded the Commission that an application for inclusion on the Register has already been prepared for
the field house structure, but the Edmonds School District declined to pursue the application.
There was a lot of discussion about whether or not the changes that have occurred to the field house structure over the years
would disqualify it for the Register. It was noted that some of the changes could be considered significant. While some
commented that community sentiment should not play a role in the Commission's recommendation relative to the structure's
eligibility on the Register, others felt the Commission's recommendation should consider the building's importance to the
community. It was part of the school at one time and has served a variety of other uses, and people who grew up in Edmonds
spent a lot of time there. Concern was expressed about what would be developed on the property if the grandstands and field
house were removed.
The Commissioners agreed that additional photographs are needed to determine the significance of the changes made to the
field house over time, particularly the windows and porch. Commissioner Deiner-Karr agreed to take on this task and report
back to the Commission. They discussed that regardless of whether the building meets the eligibility requirements for the
local Register, the Commission could make a recommendation that the building be retained because it represents the history
of the area. Mr. Chave agreed and added that whether or not the building is eligible for the Register is a different question
than whether or not it is valuable to the history of the community.
The Commission had a discussion about whether or not changes that were made more than 50 years ago would render the
building ineligible for the Register. Mr. Lien recalled Commissioner Waite's guidance that each change that has occurred
over time must stand on its own.
The majority of the Commissioners voiced support for retaining the field house structure due to its significance to the
community and because it echoes what Edmonds used to look like in the 1920s and 1930s. However, a number of changes
have occurred to the grandstands and a significant investment would be required to bring them up to code and make them
ADA compliant. Also, the grandstand structure does not have the same architectural merit as the field house. They agreed
that the park is hugely important to Edmonds and it has always been so. Retaining some of the historic awareness and flavor
is important for the community as the master plan moves forward. Even if the field house does not qualify for the local, state
or national registers, the entire site has historic interest and there would be value in rehabilitating the structure for future use
as a preservation of how Edmonds looked in the 1930s.
Chair Scott recommended that a full assessment of the field house should be done to determine its condition and pinpoint the
changes that have occurred over time. Perhaps the City can obtain grant funding to rehabilitate the building and make it
eligible for the Register. The property is a cornerstone in downtown Edmonds. It should be maintained as a historic
playfield for the community, and the building should remain integral to the space.
CHAIR SCOTT MOVED THAT THE COMMISSION PURSUE AN ASSESSMENT RELATIVE TO THE
POTENTIAL OF LISTING THE ENTIRE CIVIC FIELD AS A HISTORIC SITE AND THE FIELD HOUSE AS A
HISTORIC STRUCTURE ON THE EDMONDS REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES. SHE FURTHER MOVED
THAT THE COMMISSION ENCOURAGE THE CITY TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND ENSURE THAT THE
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HISTORY OF THE SITE IS PROMINENT IN THE MASTER PLAN. VICE CHAIR VOGEL SECONDED THE
MOTION.
Although the Commission has done so in the past, Mr. Chave cautioned against designating sites on the Register. It is
basically designating a historic fact rather than a structure. While it may be appropriate to place a plaque on the site to
recognize the historic location, it should not be placed on the Register. This type of site acknowledgement is better suited to
the Museum, and the Commission's role is more related to designating structures for inclusion on the Register.
THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. (Chair Scott was not present in the room when the motion was
approved).
The Commission discussed that the master plan could include a display showing what the site looked like in the 1930's.
Another idea was to repurpose materials from the grand stand structure into the new restroom facility. They agreed to
continue their discussion at the next meeting. Commissioner Deiner-Karr was tasked with finding more photographs and
information, as well.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION CHAIR COMMENTS
Chair Scott did not have any additional comments.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
Vice Chair Vogel announced that a video recording of the recent public meeting on the Civic Field Master Plan is available
on line at www.myedmondsnews.com.
Commissioner Raetzloff recalled that he was asked to write an article about the history of Civic Field, and he invited
Commissioners to forward useful information to him.
Council Member Johnson requested that Mr. Lien and Chair Scott meet with her and Council Member Teitzel after the
meeting.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 p.m.
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